Cleanroom environments are highly controlled areas. Every particle possible must be excluded from the work environment and that means working with the right tools. In this case, it means Texwipe products from SOS Cleanrooms. Our large absorbent sampling swabs make checking your cleanroom a breeze..but a particle free breeze!

Contaminants generally fall into one of four categories. Physical particles include dust particle, grit, fibers lint and fly ash. Fly ash is a residue particle created through combustion and is considered to be a flue-ash. Specifically, fly ash is the result of the combustion of coal. Fly ash is considered a health hazard as it usually contains heavy metals. Chemical particles are a second type of particle clean rooms seek to control. Chemical particles include organic compounds, inorganic salts, vapor, mist, fume and smoke. These, of course, can all be brought in on clothes and hair which is why cleanrooms are so insistent about garments and behavior before entering a clean room. A third type of particle is biologic. This type includes bacteria, fungus, spores, pollen virus human skin cells. It is clear to see that you don’t want this type anywhere! If you are working in a medical or food laboratory this is definitely a bad thing! The fourth type of contaminant is not so much a particle as a quality that needs to be controlled, The debate as to whether light is a particle exceeds the limits of this blog! The included thermal, light, electromagnetic, electrostatic radiation, and electrical particles. We will continue our discussion in the next blog.